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As you fiddled with the gadget in your hand, you stared out to the harbor. Night had come swiftly, and the winter air was chilling. The scene of the lanterns before you was beautiful, and you couldn't help but sigh in delight. You easily got lost in the golden lights as they drifted through the air.
"Ah, there you are." A voice from behind you pulled you out of your trance.
Turning around, you saw familiar blue eyes in the dim lighting. You smiled at him earnestly. "Childe, you're here."
He faked a scoff as he sat down next to you. "We're alone, dear, no need to call me that."
"Sorry. Force of habit."
He got comfortable on the ground. You had picked this spot, a hill just outside the city, and you didn't regret it. The whole plan was to find the perfect place for you and Ajax to have a real date for the first time in a while. He came earlier than expected, which you didn't mind at all.
The two of you hadn't been together long, his confession only being a season ago, but you hadn't spent all too much time together. You found out quickly why he was swamped with work, being a harbinger wasn't easy, but you could care less. At the end of the day, he was yours and you were his. No title could ruin that for you even if you were a bit biased.
Being a harbinger came with a multitude of names he could go by, so early on, he told you what you could say. Childe while out in public, Ajax for when you're alone, and Tartaglia was a no altogether. There weren't many times where you two were alone, thus your habit was formed.
"It's my fault anyway." He reassured you. "Don't worry about it, I was only teasing."
Humming, you felt a weight get draped over your shoulders.
"But that shouldn't make you forget your coat."
Right, you were in such a hurry out the door you had forgotten it. "Oh, thanks." You put your arms through the sleeves before leaning against him.
He chuckled, which you could feel the vibrations of. "What's this?" He reached down to the gadget you had placed on the ground to put his coat on.
"It's a firework launcher. They were selling them for a great price at the wharf." You watched him observe it in his hand.
"Is it loaded?"
You nodded.
He chuckled before setting it down. "Thanks for the warning. I could've set it off."
A giggle escaped you as you return your attention to the bustling harbor. Lantern Rite was very special to this nation and its people. You were sure that the holiday itself had a huge impact on the neighboring nations with how much people grew excited about it. You wouldn't be surprised if you could see the lanterns from Mondstat.
As your thoughts wandered you were reminded of your boyfriend when he shifted. Ajax wasn't from here. He had come all the way from Snezhnaya for Fatui business and had been away from home for a while. You wondered what kind of celebrations they had in the land of winter.
"Do you have any cultural holidays in Snezhnaya?" You looked up at him, you were sure your curiosity was showing in your eyes.
He sighed nostalgically. "Well, we celebrate the new year a little earlier than Liyuens." He chuckled. "I received a letter from my family about it two weeks ago. I'd say that it's the most popular holiday."
"Do you set off fireworks as well?"
He shrugged. "Sometimes the weather is nice enough to set some off, but it's usually snowing a little too hard." You felt him hold you closer. "I always liked celebrating the new year with my family, but I wasn't able to this year. At least, I can celebrate Lantern Rite with you."
Your heart melted a little. You knew how much his family meant to him, and you were glad that he considered you family as well. "What else do you do for New Year's?"
"Well, the month leading up to it is spent buying gifts for everyone. We place them under the holiday tree so we can exchange them on the day." A saddened smile grew on his face as he recalled the celebration. "We feast on salads believe it or not. My mother always made enough that the leftovers lasted a week."
Your eyes were only partially opened as you listened to him. A small and dreamy smile twitched onto your face.
"After we ate, our parents would dress up as Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden, a couple of fairytale characters, to amuse us until midnight. If the weather was well enough for fireworks we would go to the city to watch, but if not, we would light these special candles." He shook his head with a chuckle. "I've rambled too long."
"I enjoyed it." You reassure him, leaning into his figure affectionately.
Ajax looked down at you before he wrapped his arms around you properly. "I do miss those long nights, even if I had to break the fights between my siblings most of the time." He brushed the hair out of your face to get a good look at you. "But I don't mind being away if that means I can be with someone I love."
"Someone's become a smooth talker." You joked.
He only rolled his eyes at you.
The two of you spent a couple of minutes in silence, enjoying being in each other's arms. Though, it didn't take long for a loud explosion to gain your attention. When you took your face off of his chest and looked towards the harbor the firework show was beginning.
You gasped at the beautiful sight. The coordinated patterns of dozens of fireworks were, for lack of a better word, stunning.
Ajax shook your shoulder gently. "Don't we have our own to set off?"
"Right!" You jolted out of his hold, which got a good 'oomph' out of him. Excitedly, you grabbed the launcher and looked back at him. "We got to get some distance if we want to see them well."
He took that as his cue to get up, walking over to your side and gesturing in front of you. "Lead the way."
You grabbed his hand as you speed-walked across the plain on top of the hill. Ajax watched you drop to the ground and set the launcher up with haste. Before you lit the fuse though, you looked towards him with a bit of a mischievous expression.
"Once I light this, the last one back to the spot is a looser." You giggled.
He perked up at the mention of competition. "You know you're at a disadvantage, sweetie"
It was undeniable he was in better shape than you, and definitely had more stamina, but you weren't going to let that stop you. "Scared you'll lose?"
"Whatever."
You lit the fuse and the two of you bolted across the field. Almost immediately did you fall behind but you managed to reach over and tug at Ajax's clothes. He yelped and stumbled a bit, which gave you enough time to get ahead. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long because only mere seconds later did he do the same thing to you.
His laugh rang through the night air and against the noise of the harbor's fireworks. You weren't going to go down that easy though. So when you eventually caught up with him, you jumped and tackled him to the best of your ability. The two of you tumbled to the ground just a couple of feet away from the spot you were racing to. Unable to get up fast enough, you crawled your way to the finish line. Victory was a fingertip away but you felt something wrap around your ankle.
"C'mere you." Ajax pulled you by your leg and back to where he was.
A small scream escaped your mouth, and before you knew it, you were trapped in his arms. You giggled and laughed against his chest, pushing him for any chance of freedom. "Let me go!"
"No way!"
Once you knew there was no getting out of this you accepted defeat and stopped struggling. As soon as you relaxed, a louder explosion startled you. You made it just in time to see your fireworks go off.
Ajax turned his body so he could lay flat on his back. He had an arm around you as you two laid in the grass. "Say we call that a draw?" He laughed.
Scoffing, you nuzzled into his side. "If that will help your ego, then sure."
You felt his laugh against your body, and you easily got distracted by him. Here you are, goofing off with this man child. You couldn't be more in love, and you couldn't look away from him.
"Ajax?" You called.
He turned his head to look at you. "Hm?"
You used that moment to lean in and softly kiss him, to which he returned. It was short and sweet and left you giggling when you pulled off. "Happy Lantern Rite."